Autry National Center

Gunfight at the OK Corral Interpretive Display at The Museum of the American West, Los Angeles, California

Yesterday I planned to photograph some attractions in Griffith Park since I hadn't done that before other than the LA Zoo. My first stop was the Autry National Center / Museum of the American West. It was an awesome museum; a mix of western art, history and the entertainment industry.

For the art portion, there were landscape paintings from the "Hudson River School" artists such as Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran. I had never actually seen these paintings before in person though they were a huge influence on what eventually became landscape photography. The historical part included information about Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show and had artifacts such as costumes and weaponry. The movie part had a big role in the museum as well (This is a museum devoted to Gene Autry afterall.)

This photo is of a narrative display about the 1881 Gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. The shootout was the most famous one in Wild West lore but in reality only three died. The museum attributed the fame of the event to the movies which included historical figures such as Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.